


great expectations

by WiseBlondeHunter



Category: The Infernal Devices Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Human AU, M/M, will is a bisexual icon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 09:12:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18117770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WiseBlondeHunter/pseuds/WiseBlondeHunter
Summary: In their passing conversations, he saw that he had a biting wit and an intelligent mind. He no doubt quoted poetry and literature at all hours of the day. Jem wanted to hear his knowledge of books and exchange quotes. He wanted someone to listen to his music and it felt like he was the one to do it.





	great expectations

**Author's Note:**

> “You’re a store clerk and oh shit I just spotted my ex please let me hide behind your desk-thing” AU
> 
> aka i just finished rereading the infernal devices and i have a lot of feelings about heronstairs. prompt is taken from ironinkpen on tumblr
> 
> im thinking of turning this into a series of oneshots so give me some prompts or aus that you'd like to see!

He’d been coming in for months now. It was hard to not notice him. Tall, chiseled jaw, messy black hair. Not to mention those breathtaking blue eyes that seemed to see right through anything his gaze touched. He’d been coming in for months but they’d never had a real conversation beyond the polite chit-chat between customer and employee.

 

Despite that, Jem Carstairs adored him. The way that that man lost himself in the aisles for hours reminded him of the way that he got lost in his music. In their passing conversations, he saw that he had a biting wit and an intelligent mind. He no doubt quoted poetry and literature at all hours of the day. Jem wanted to hear his knowledge of books and exchange quotes. He wanted someone to listen to his music and it felt like he was the one to do it.

 

Jem stood behind the register, thumbing through an old copy of Great Expectations as part of taking inventory of the donation box. His boss and long-time friend, Tessa, was a fan of having a section purely devoted to Victorian literature and poetry. He frequently had customers asking about that section but his knowledge on the subject was decidedly small. One of those customers was the blue-eyed stranger.

 

He only had a first name: Will. Jem yearned to know more about him but, so far, had found nothing to converse about. Will almost exclusively bought Victorian poetry and books that would certainly interest Tessa. Jem’s interest didn’t lie with books at all; his obsession of choice was music. The books that he did read were mostly science fiction, along the lines of Fahrenheit 451 or 1984.

 

While Jem was here almost every day, Will came in roughly once every week. However, this rainy September week was coming to an end and Will had shown neither hide nor hair at The Clockwork Library. They were about half an hour away from closing for that night and Sunday the next day. Jem was resigning himself to not seeing Will that week when the bell above the door rang.

 

“Hullo there,” Jem called, not looking up from his book.

 

“Got anywhere I can hide?” He instinctively knew that it was Will’s voice. When he looked up, Will was soaking wet, glancing around. He strode down the length of the bookshelves, none of which were tall enough to hide him. They had no bathroom and a very small storeroom. That’s where Tessa was, in fact, and it wasn’t big enough to hold them both.

 

“Back here. Just duck down,” Jem said, gesturing to the area behind the register. “Be careful of the books, please.”

 

“I would never dream of harming a book. You should know me better than that,” Will replied with a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Jem couldn’t help returning the gesture. His heart sped up a bit like it every time Will was around. 

 

He plopped on the hardwood, no doubt drenching the floor underneath him. From where he was standing, Jem could feel Will’s body heat. They’d never been so close before; the safe barrier of the register and the counter was always between them. Jem looked around the bookstore, making sure no one else had walked in while he was distracted by the beautiful man at his feet.

 

“So,” Jem started as he leaned on the wall beside him, “Care to tell me who you’re hiding from?” Will inched up to peer over the counter before ducking down again.

 

“A woman named Jessamine. Jessie or Jess, if you prefer. Awfully aware of her clothing at all times. She didn’t particularly care for my taste in clothes,” Will said in a rush. Jem gave Will a once-over, noting the dark jeans and normal button down shirt. He dressed… sort of like Jem did actually. In fact, Jem noticed as he looked closer, they were wearing the same brand of trainers.

 

“She also happens to be my ex,” Will said, peeking up again. Jem let out a small chuckle despite the ache in his chest. So Will was straight. He quickly berated himself for feeling that way. He’d been building this fantasy around Will for months; it shouldn’t be a surprise that he didn’t live up to it.

 

The bell rang out in the otherwise silent store as someone walked in. Will ducked down once more and grabbed onto Jem’s leg. The woman was unfamiliar but with the way Will was clutching him he knew who it was. Golden curls cascaded down her back, untouched by the torrential downpour outside. She held a blue umbrella that was dripping onto the warped floorboards.

 

“Ma’am,” Tessa said as she came out from the back of the store. “We have umbrella bags right there.” She pointed towards the entrance where a stack of plastic umbrella bags sat. Jessamine sighed and turned towards the other half of the store, not even glancing in Tessa’s direction. She strode towards the aisles that she couldn’t see down.

 

Tessa tossed Jem a confused glance. He tried to somehow convey his circumstance through gestures, abruptly stopping when Jessamine whirled around. Her doll’s lips were downturned unpleasantly. True to Will’s word, she was fashionable and put-together although her demeanor soured the air about her.

 

“Neither of you have seen William Herondale?” Jessamine snapped. Tessa shook her head with wide, innocent gray eyes. If she knew that Jem was harboring Will behind the counter, she didn’t give any indication. “Black hair, blue eyes, soaked like a  _ dog _ ?” Her harsh gaze fell on Jem who just shook his head. Jessamine huffed and stormed out, the clacking of her heels deafening in the small space.

 

“Do you have a fugitive back there?” Tessa asked with a tinge of amusement. She cocked her hip and crossed her arms while Jem turned his gaze onto the man still holding onto his leg. He scrambled up and Jem cursed under his breath; there was indeed a wet patch where he’d been sitting. “William Herondale, I presume?” She cocked an eyebrow at Will’s cocky smirk.

 

“I greatly appreciate your assistance,” he said with a bow. A smile spread over Tessa’s face as she rolled her eyes. With a wave, she turned back to head to the storeroom.

 

“I’ll grab a rag but you need to help clean, William!” Will breathed a sigh of relief besides Jem. He nudged him with his shoulder; Jem tried to not show the blush spreading over his pale cheeks at the physical contact.

 

“You dated  _ her _ ?” Jem asked quietly but with a smile. Will gave a dramatic sigh and slumped over onto the counter. His hair was curling at the nape of his neck and where it fell in front of his eyes.

 

“Unfortunately,” he groaned. “Now when we run into each other, she acts… well, like that.” Jem reached out and patted Will on the back. He tensed as Jem’s hand rested for a moment too long. He practically yanked his hand back and forced his face to remain neutral. Had he noticed that gesture? Of course, he noticed, that was a stupid thought.

 

When Tessa emerged from the back, she tossed two rags on the counter. She retreated into the back after a quick reminder to get  _ all  _ the water that both Will and Jessamine had dripped around the store. As Will straightened up, Jem caught sight of the small puddle that had formed from his wet hair dripping onto the counter. 

 

His gaze traced a small droplet of water as it fell from Will’s temple and wound down his neck. As Will bent down to wipe up the water, Jem saw how his shirt stuck to him in a very indecent way. Cheeks flaming, Jem strode around the counter and into the main area and set about to mopping up the small puddles.

 

“So what do you say we go to dinner after this?” Will asked from behind the counter. Jem managed to keep his hand steady as he wiped up the water. He glanced up but Will was still crouched down. “If you don’t have plans, that is.”

 

“You seem quite sure of yourself, Will,” Jem said. He finally popped up and made eye contact with him. Jem had to brush some of his dark hair out of his face to fully look Will in the eye. Despite the self-assured tone, he had a blush spanning his own cheeks.

 

Tessa leaned around the edge of one of the bookshelves with an impish grin and said, “Well, he makes goo-goo eyes at you every time you’re in here. I hoped you’d notice at least one of these times.”

 

“Tessa, you’re not helping,” Jem said as his own heart jumped. He hadn’t known his affection was so clearly written across his face. If he had, he would’ve tried to rein it in.

 

“No, Tessa is definitely helping,” Will said. Tessa shot Jem a wink before disappearing once more. Jem sat back on his heels as Will continued. “I’d wanted to ask you for quite some time but… I was afraid I suppose.”

 

“Afraid of me?”

 

“Afraid of you saying no. I think I was so caught up in my own affections for the calm, beautiful, funny boy at my favorite bookstore that I didn’t acknowledge your affections,” Will said. Jem stood, rolling a kink out of his neck, before walking over to stand on the other side of the counter. What Will had said was certainly pretty.

 

“Have you been practicing that?” Jem teased. Will smiled and leaned on his elbows.

 

“No, certainly not. It is both impossible and as simple as breathing to talk to you.” Although it wasn’t a quote from a poetry book, it certainly felt that way as it fell from Will’s lips. If everything sounded this beautiful from him, he never wanted Will to stop speaking. “So what’s your answer? Shall I treat you to an evening of delight with my witty remarks?” Okay, maybe that last thought wasn’t true.

 

Jem rolled his eyes in fake exasperation but nodded. Will visibly lit up and strode around the counter. He held his arm out in a show of being a gentleman.

 

“Shall we?” Jem held up a finger before dashing back around the counter and gathering his satchel, umbrella, and the tattered copy of Great Expectations. He had a feeling that Will would appreciate it. The antique grandfather clock Tessa used to decorate the store chimed nine times as he joined Will at the front of the store.

 

“Goodnight, Tessa!” he called.

 

“Goodnight, Jem. Have fun on your date!” Jem chuckled as he flipped the hand-drawn sign to ‘closed.’ He switched the lights off and stepped outside with Will. He opened up his umbrella under the awning, noticing how small it actually was.

 

“Oh, I’m already wet. I don’t mind-” Will stopped in the middle of his sentence as Jem wrapped an arm around his waist and drew him close. His body heat was reassuring, calming the quick tempo of his heart. Something about Will both set him ablaze and grounded him.

 

“Come along, William. You promised me an evening of delight, after all.” Will threw back his head and laughed. They stepped out into the downpour and headed down the street, lost in their own world underneath their umbrella.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! let me know what you think in the comments!
> 
> find me on tumblr at nicholas-di-angelo


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